Self degradation of polymer electrolyte based dye-sensitized solar cells and their remedy

Self degradation of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) has been observed due to shrinkage of the polymer electrolytes at room temperature with a relatively high humidity atmosphere. The cell efficiency has also shown to depend on the shrinkage of the polymer. The actual interface area between the polymer electrolyte and the dye soaked nanoporous TiO₂ electrode has been observed to become reduced for alkali salt complexed poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) polymer electrolyte. This problem can relatively easily be reduced by two step casting and by incorporating ionic liquids in the polymer electrolyte. A possible reason has been sought as the reduced crystallinity and growth of spherulites in the polymer matrix.     

Viologen impregnated PVDF with TiO2 nanofiller as a solid polymer electrolyte for dye-sensitized solar cells

Dye-sensitized solar cells were fabricated using viologen impregnated PVDF with TiO₂ nanofiller as a solid polymer electrolyte sandwiched in between N3 (cis-di(thiocyanato)N,N′-bis(2,2′-bipyridyl-4,4′-dicarboxylic acid)-ruthenium(II)) dye adsorbed over TiO₂ nanocrystalline film as anode and conducting carbon cement coated over conducting glass as cathode to mainly impede the back-electron transfer processes. The prepared polymer electrolytes were well characterized before using them in solar cells. The functioning of the solar cells fabricated was monitored and the current–voltage characteristics were measured.     

Performance of dye-sensitized solar cells based on natural dyes

The natural dyes were successfully extracted from spinach, pitaya pericarp, orange peel, ginkgo leaf, purple cabbage and carrot, and then fabricated a dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). It suggested that the absorption properties of natural dyes were strongly dependent on the types and concentration of pigments, and the purple cabbage exhibited an obvious absorption at 317 nm. Meanwhile, a higher conversion efficiency of 0.157% was obtained as the DSSCs were prepared by using purple cabbage, but the DSSCs showed a poor performance when the carrot was used as natural dyes, just achieved 0.01%. FTIR spectra revealed that purple cabbage showed a better adsorption properties between TiO₂ films and dyes than carrot. The dipping time was further investigated and proved that an optimal dipping time was 6 min, the DSSCs using purple cabbage could achieve 0.146% in photoelectric conversion efficiency.     

聚苯胺基固态染料敏化太阳电池中电子输运性能的研究

以导电聚苯胺为空穴传输材料，制备了固态染料敏化太阳电池(DSC).利用强度调制光电流谱(IMPS)和强度调制光电压谱(IMVS)研究了TiO₂多孔膜内的电子输运及复合过程.通过TiO₂多孔膜内电子的平均传输时间(τ_d)和电子寿命(τ_n)及对IMPS实验数据的拟合，获得电子在TiO₂膜内的有效扩散系数(D_n)和扩散长度(L_n).这些聚苯胺基电池中的τ_n值为相应的液体型电池的1/10倍左右，表明在该固体电池中存在严重的光生电子的复合过程，这很可能主要是与氧化态染料分子和导电电子间的复合有关.随着TiO₂膜厚的增加，τ_n和τ_d均变小，但D_n和L_n随之增加，只有在合适的膜厚范围内才能获得较高的光伏性能. 关键词： 聚苯胺 染料敏化太阳电池 IMPS IMVS     

Effect of NH4I and I2 concentration on agar gel polymer electrolyte properties for a dye-sensitized solar cell

Gel polymer electrolytes were prepared using agar polymer host, NH₄I, and I₂ salts. The sample of agar paste with 1.0 M of NH₄I and 0.2 μM of I₂ exhibits the highest conductivity and lowest viscosity values at room temperature of (2.64?±?0.19)?×?10^?3?S?cm^?1 and 1.17?±?0.29 Pa?s, respectively. All of the gel polymer electrolytes display Arrhenian behavior, and the optimum agar paste gave the lowest activation energy of 0.25 eV. It also had a good physical appearance compared with the other samples. This gel polymer electrolyte had a good potential and was applicable to a role as electrolyte in ITO-ZnO (N719 dye)/agar paste?+?1.0 M NH₄I?+?0.2 μM I₂/Au-Pd-ITO dye-sensitized solar cell.     

Electron transport in dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO2 nanowires

Anatase titanium dioxide nanowire arrays were prepared by hydrothermally oxidizing titanium foils in aqueous alkali and transferred onto fluorinated tin oxide(FTO)glass for use as the photoanodes of front side illuminated dye-sensitized solar cells(DSCs).Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)measurement was applied to compare the electron transport and recombination properties of DSCs using TiO2nanowire films and TiO2nanoparticle films as photoanodes.It was found that the nanowire array films possess smaller electron transport resistance(Rt)and larger electron diffusion length(Le)in the photoanodes,suggesting that the nanowire arrays can enhance the electron transport rate and have a potential to improve the charge collection efficiency of DSCs.     

Graphene/carbon nanotubes composites as a counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells

As an alternative platinum counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), carbon materials based counter electrode were prepared using multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)/graphene nano-sheets (GNS) composite by simple doctor blade method. We found that the photovoltaic performance was strongly influenced by the concentration of GNS in composite electrode. The composite electrode with 60% MWNTs and 40% GNS based DSSCs showed the maximum power conversion efficiency of 4.0% while sputter deposited platinum counter electrode based DSSCs showed a power conversion efficiency of 5.0%.     

Polymer electrolyte for photoelectrochemical cell and dye-sensitized solar cell: a brief review

This paper reviews the use of solid polymeric electrolyte (SPE) and gel polymeric electrolyte (GPE) in photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) and dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). The structure of PEC and its working principle are presented. The various types of polymer electrolytes utilized in PEC and DSSC have been highlighted in this review. It also highlights the comparison of performance of PEC and DSSC utilizing those polymer electrolytes. This review is completed with the list of other SPEs that potentially be tested in DSSC.     

基于薄膜电极溶胶修饰的染料敏化太阳电池光电特性研究

染料敏化太阳电池(DSC)中的纳米薄膜电极 是决定太阳电池光电转换性能的重要组成部分. 为改善薄膜电极特性, 采用了不同浓度的TiO₂溶胶对DSC光阳极导电玻 璃和纳米TiO₂多孔薄膜进行不同方式的界面处理. 利用X射线衍射方法对制备得到的多孔薄膜以及溶胶经高温处理 后致密层中纳米TiO₂颗粒的尺寸及晶型进行了测试. 采用高分辨透射电子显微镜和场发射扫描电子 显微镜观察了纳米颗粒及薄膜微结构形貌. 采用强度调制光电流谱/光电压谱分析了TiO₂溶 胶的不同处理方式对电子传输和复合的影响. 在100 mW· cm^-2光强以及暗环境下分别测试了DSC的伏安输出性能以及暗电流. 结果表明, 不同浓度和处理方式均能较好地抑制暗电流. 溶胶处理后光生电子寿命τ_n延长, 电子传输平均时间τ_d相应缩短. 采用浓度为0.10 mol·L^-1的 溶胶对导电玻璃和多孔膜同时处理, DSC的宏观输出特性最佳, 短路电流密度J_sc提高了10.9%, 光电转换效率η提高了11.9%.     

Low resistance dye-sensitized solar cells based on all-titanium substrates using wires and sheets

Low resistance dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) based on all-titanium substrates were proposed in this paper. To minimize the internal resistance of DSSCs, the titanium wires and titanium sheets were used as the substrates of the photoanode and the counter electrode, respectively. Compared with the FTO substrate, titanium wires could absorb much diffused light by back reflection since the reflectivity in the titanium sheet was highly increased up to 53.12%. Furthermore, the transmittance of the front cover was increased by 13.2% using the super white glass instead of FTO substrate. The thickness of TiO₂ thin film coated on titanium wire was optimized to achieve a high cell performance. The efficiency of 5.6% for the cell was obtained with a J_sc of 15.41 mA cm⁻², V_oc of 0.59 V, and FF of 0.62. The results showed that the titanium-based DSSCs had superiority for producing the large-scale DSSCs without metal grid line.     

Performance characteristics of dye-sensitized solar cells with counter electrode based on NiP-plated glass and titanium plate

The counter electrodes based on NiP-plated glass and titanium plate were prepared. The performance characteristics of the dye-sensitized solar cells with platinized NiP-plated glass electrode (Pt/NiP electrode) and platinized titanium plate electrode (Pt/TP electrode) were discussed. Pt/NiP electrode and Pt/TP electrode showed the same catalytic activity for triiodide reduction compared with platinized fluorine-doped tin oxide conducting glass electrode (Pt/FTO electrode). However, Pt/NiP electrode and Pt/TP electrode have the advantage over Pt/FTO electrode in reducing the sheet resistance and increasing light reflectivity, which resulted in improving the photovoltaic performance of dye-sensitized solar cells effectively. Compared with the cell using Pt/FTO electrode, the incident photon conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells with Pt/NiP electrode and Pt/TP electrode was increased by 20% and 5%, respectively, the overall energy efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells with Pt/NiP electrode and Pt/TP electrode was increased by 32% and 27%, respectively.     

Comparison of the performances of dye-sensitized solar cells based on different TiO2 electrode nanostructures

This article reports on the performances of dye-sensitized solar cells based on three different working electrode structures, i.e., (i) sintered TiO₂ nanoparticles (20–40 nm diameters), (ii) ordered arrays of TiO₂ nanotubules (150 nm external diameters and 80 nm internal diameters), and (iii) ordered arrays of TiO₂ nanorods (150 nm diameters). Even though the highest short-circuit current density was achieved with systems based on TiO₂ nanotubules, the most efficient cells were those based on ordered arrays of TiO₂ nanorods. This is probably due to higher open-circuit photovoltage values attained with TiO₂ nanorods than with TiO₂ nanotubules. The nanorods are thicker than the nanotubules and therefore the injected electrons, stored in the trap states of the inner TiO₂ molecules, are shielded from recombination with holes in the redox electrolyte at open circuit. The high short-circuit photocurrent densities seen in the ordered TiO₂ systems can be explained by the fact that, as opposed to the sintered nanoparticles, the parallel and vertical orientation of the ordered nanostructures provide well-defined electrons percolation paths thus significantly reduce the diffusion distance and time constant.     

Porous PVdF-HFP/P123 electrolyte membrane containing flexible quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells produced by the compression method

Flexible quasi-solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) with porous poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF-HFP)/polyethylene oxide-co-polypropylene oxide-co-polyethylene oxide (P123) electrolyte membranes were fabricated and their photocurrent–voltage (I–V) characteristics are studied. Flexible TiO₂ photoelectrodes were prepared using the compression method and porous PVdF-HFP/P123 membranes, by the nonsolvent-induced phase inversion technique. To activate the electrolyte membrane, the membrane was immersed in liquid-state electrolyte. Increased compression pressure improved the interconnection between TiO₂ nanoparticles, enhancing the photovoltaic performances of the flexible liquid-state DSSCs to a maximum of 3.92% efficiency. Meanwhile, the overall pore structure of the PVdF-HFP/P123 membranes was controlled by varying the blend ratio of P123 to PVdF-HFP. Membranes higher in P123 content gave larger pores and pore volume, increasing the electrolyte uptake of the porous membrane, and thus the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte membrane as well. The photovoltaic characteristics of the flexible quasi-solid-state DSSCs containing a porous PVdF-HFP/P123 electrolyte membrane showed a maximum at 50 wt% P123 content, which gave a short-circuit current density (J_sc) value of 7.28 mA/cm², an open-circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.67 V, a fill factor (FF) of 0.61 and an energy conversion efficiency (η) of 2.98%. Furthermore, the device designed in this study showed good durability compared to those based on liquid-state electrolyte.     

Zinc oxide nanostructures for applications as ethanol sensors and dye-sensitized solar cells

ZnO nanostructures were prepared by thermal oxidation technique for applying as ethanol sensors and dye-sensitized solar cells. To improve sensitivity of the sensor based on ZnO nanostructures, gold doping was performed in ZnO nanostructures. Gold-doped with 0%, 5%, and 10% by weight were investigated. The improvement of sensor sensitivity toward ethanol due to gold doping was observed at entire operating temperature and ethanol concentration. The sensitivity up to 145 was obtained for 10% Au-doped ZnO sensor. This can be explained by an increase of the quantity of oxygen ion due to catalytic effect of gold. Also, it was found that oxygen ion species at the surface of the Au-doped ZnO sensor remained O²⁻ as pure ZnO sensor. For dye-sensitized solar cell application, the dye-sensitized solar cell structure based on ZnO as a photoelectrode was FTO/ZnO/Eosin-Y/electrolyte/Pt counter electrode. ZnO with different morphologies of nanobelt, nano-tetrapod, and powder were investigated. It was found that DSSCs with ZnO powder showed higher photocurrent, photovoltage and overall energy conversion efficiencies than that of ZnO nanobelt and ZnO nano-tetrapod. The best results of DSSCs were the short circuit current (J_sc) of 1.25 mA/cm², the open circuit voltage (V_oc) of 0.45 V, the fill factor (FF) of 0.65 and the overall energy conversion efficiency (η) of 0.68%.     

基于半经验模型对大面积染料敏化太阳电池性能影响因素的研究

以影响大面积染料敏化太阳电池性能的几个物理参量和几何参量为切入点, 分析了内部电阻对电池性能的影响, 针对几种构型不同的大面积电池, 建立了效率的半经验模型. 根据并联、串联、和各单元独立式串并联的大面积电池的相关物理参量和几何参量, 对电池效率进行了计算. 通过比较计算值与测试值的偏差, 分析了半经验模型的适用性. 在半经验模型的基础上, 分析了相关物理参量和几何参量对电池性能的影响. 结果表明, 在实际应用中, 通过半经验模型分析物理参量和几何参量的影响, 可以优化大面积电池的性能.     

Effect of hydroxyl on dye-sensitized solar cells assembled with TiO_2 nanorods

TiO_2 nanorods have been prepared on ITO substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering technique. The hydroxyl groups have been introduced on the nanorods surface. The structure and the optical properties of these nanorods have been studied. The dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs) have been assembled using these TiO_2 nanorods as photoelectrode. And the effect of the hydroxyl groups on the properties of the photoelectric conversion of the DSSCs has been studied.     

染料敏化纳米薄膜太阳电池实验研究

染料敏化纳米薄膜太阳电池（DSCs）的性能主要是由纳米多孔TiO２₂薄膜、染 料光敏化剂 、电解质、反电极（光阴极）等几个主要部分决定的.通过优化DSCs各项关键技术和材料的 性能，并通过小面积DSCs的系列实验和优化组合实验来检测各项参数对DSCs性能的影响，获 得在光照1个太阳（AM15）下，光电转换效率达到895%.这为进行产业化制备大面积DSCs 打下了良好基础. 关键词： 染料敏化 太阳电池 优化 效率